Backache
New treatment for lower back pain using patient’s own stem cells
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A University of Manchester researcher has developed a treatment for lower back pain using the patient’s own stem cells, which could replace the use of strong painkillers or surgery that can cause debilitation, neither of which addresses the underlying cause.
Dr Stephen Richardson, of the University’s Division of Regenerative Medicine in the School of Medicine (FMHS), has developed the treatment; and in collaboration with German biotechnology company Arthrokinetics and internationally-renowned spinal surgeons Spinal Foundation are hoping to enter pre-clinical trials next year. It is expected to rapidly yield a marketable product which will revolutionise treatment of long-term low back pain.
Patients With Herniated Disk Improved With or Without Surgery
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Patients with lumbar disk herniation who had surgery or nonoperative treatments showed similar levels of improvement in the reduction of pain over a 2-year period, according to a randomized trial in the November 22/29 issue of JAMA. In all cases patients who had surgery did slightly better.
Lumbar diskectomy (surgical removal, in part or whole, of an intervertebral disk) is the most common surgical procedure performed in the United States for patients having back and leg pain. The vast majority of the procedures are elective.
Acupuncture appears effective for lower back pain
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Acupuncture improves lower back pain, compared with no treatment, German researchers report. However, they found that a minimal intervention consisting of superficial needle placement at non-acupuncture points resulted in similar improvements.
Past studies have yielded inconclusive results concerning the effectiveness of acupuncture to treat lower back pain. To further investigate, a team lead by Dr. Benno Brinkhaus, from the Charite University Medical Center in Berlin, evaluated nearly 300 patients in what the researchers believe is the largest trial to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for lower back pain.
Vertebroplasty Improves Back Pain, Activity Level
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A Mayo Clinic study has found patients report less back pain at rest and while active following vertebroplasty, a procedure in which medical cement is injected into painful compression fractures in the spinal vertebrae due to osteoporosis. Patients also reported improved function in their daily activities, such as walking, housework and getting dressed. The findings are published in the November/December issue of American Journal of Neuroradiology, http://www.ajnr.org.
“These findings give us as good evidence as there is—in a study without a group receiving another or no treatment for comparison—that patients are more functional for up to a year after vertebroplasty than before vertebroplasty,” says David Kallmes, M.D., the Mayo Clinic neuroradiologist who led the study.
Traction Not Beneficial for Low Back Pain
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The use of traction to help treat low back pain has no benefit, despite its widespread use, a new review of studies has found.
“Traction was introduced before it was properly evaluated in high-quality randomized trials, and as an intervention is already part of usual practice,” said lead author Judy M.A. Clarke, M.D. “It is hard to convince health care providers not to use it.”
Back exercises not the answer to low back pain
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Exercise may help ease lower back pain—just as long as the exercise is not specifically targeting the back, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that of the nearly 700 patients with low back pain they followed for 18 months, those who walked and got other forms of “recreational” exercise had a lower risk of pain over time. In contrast, those who performed exercises specifically for their backs appeared to make matters worse.
Teriparatide tested against alendronate for back pain in women with osteoporosis
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Teriparatide was tested against alendronate for back pain in women with osteoporosis.
“To compare the effects on back pain of teriparatide versus alendronate,” scientists in the United States conducted a study to “analyze the reporting of back pain in a head to head comparator trial and a followup study. In the comparator trial, women were randomized to receive either daily self-injected teriparatide 40 micro g plus an oral placebo (n=73), or daily oral alendronate 10 mg plus self-injected placebo (n=73).”
Oregon doctor sued for sex treatment for back pain
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An Oregon woman whose doctor convinced her that he could cure her lower back pain by having sex with her is suing him and his medical clinic for $4 million, according to legal documents obtained on Monday.
The doctor, Randall Smith, who was 50 at the time, was stripped of his license and sent to jail for 60 days last year for charging the state’s Oregon Health Plan $5,000 for his 45-minute “treatments” involving the woman.
Exercise training may ease chronic back pain
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For workers disabling back pain, a supervised exercise program combining resistance training to strengthen the muscles of the lower back with exercises designed to improve flexibility and coordination may help them return to work, a study shows.
A look back at 314 consecutive individuals with chronic back pain attributed largely to work-related causes who participated in the 8- to 15-week exercise program showed that many of them saw improvement in their ability to move and had less pain.
